Lincoln: Ag has Big Role to Play in Climate Change

Agriculture has a big role to play in climate change, and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) wants to make sure it is a positive role and that farmers won’t see more in terms of costs. “You can’t do climate change legislation without agriculture, and so I think making sure they’re at the table and that agriculture gets what it needs in this process is going to be critical, and we’ll work hard to make sure that happens,” Lincoln said in an American Farm Bureau Federation Newsline interview Tuesday. Lincoln said she expects to hold hearings on climate change legislation in the Senate Agriculture Committee around the end of the year to address important questions such as: how will the legislation impact farmers, how much will input costs go up, will the cost of food go up? Lincoln said deadlines being set for the bill’s passage are extremely arbitrary and it is unrealistic to expect a bill by Thanksgiving. Farm Bureau opposes the Senate Boxer-Kerry climate bill as currently written.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is a member of American Farm Bureau Federation®, a national organization of farmers and ranchers including Farm Bureau® organizations in 49 other states and Puerto Rico, and is responsible for Farm Bureau membership and programs within the State of Ohio. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation programs and services are available only to Farm Bureau members within Ohio. The political views expressed in these pages represent Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's positions on various issues as they relate to Ohio. The positions of the national Farm Bureau organization collectively are expressed through American Farm Bureau Federation. Any opinions, statements or views expressed through comments or by outside contributors are the express views of those individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.